Photo sites put a sharper focus on prices, products

Internet photo sites are scrambling to exploit the digital camera boom with new products and -- in some cases -- lower prices.

PhotoWorks (www.photoworks.com) became the latest site to cut its rates last week, announcing a new fee of 19 cents for 4-by-6 prints made from digital camera images, the same price charged by rivals Snapfish (www.snapfish.com) and ImageStation (www.imagestation.com). Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com) and Kodak's Ofoto (www.ofoto.com), meanwhile, still list rates of 29 cents for a 4-by-6 print -- although an Ofoto sale cuts that to 22 cents.

Just two years ago, prints from digital images typically cost 50 cents or more. But as order volumes ramped up thanks to skyrocketing sales of digital cameras, Web sites have been slashing prices and rolling out new ways for customers to put their photos to use, from personalized pet collars to custom hardcover books.